1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to pens or other writing implements carrying display indicia and particularly to an apparatus for inserting a generally rectangular flat display sheet into the hollow barrel of the implement to form a generally cylindrical display surface which is viewable through the barrel of the implement.
2. History of the Prior Art
It has long been known to use pens, pencils and other writing implements as vehicles for the visual communication of various advertising, personal, business, political, social, or similar identifications, slogans, messages, data, and other such information.
Such visual display writing implements have been designed and produced in numerous ways in order to achieve the aforementioned desired effect and have been made available in various price ranges depending upon the ultimate purpose for which the implement is desired. For instance, some pens have been provided with intricate calendars, conversion tables and the like which may be rotatably adjusted with the pen housing. Other pens, which are more or less designed as novelty items, may carry a written message or picture which is viewable through a portion of the pen barrel and which may, if desired, be provided with some means to animate the picture or move the message relative to the barrel.
Some of the greatest uses of visual display, however, have been in the area of personal or business identifications and as a form of advertising. The use of such a form of communication has met with much success due to the fact that the visual display is carried by an implement which is an integral part of people's daily personal and business activities. That is, since the demand for pens, pencils and other writing implements is already great, the inclusion of some visual indicia simply provides an added benefit by either identifying one's property or to communicate some message to those who will make use of the implement.
Another reason for the success of some visual display pens and pencils is due to the fact that the costs of the more simplistic or basic pens or pencils have been maintained at a relatively affordable level due to current mass production techniques.
In order to maintain prices for some visual display or personalized pens and pencils at a price which is competitive with pens and pencils not having such indicia, it has been necessary to increase the use of less expensive forms of visual display which have the disadvantage of not being as neat and professional in appearance nor as long lasting as is possible.
For instance, the prior art discloses numerous pens having different means for either mounting the visual display or identification within a transparent barrel of a pen or printing, stamping or otherwise affixing some indicia to the exterior surface of the pen. The techniques of stamping or printing the exterior of the barrel have not been found to be completely satisfactory in that any lettering or other material along the exterior of the barrel is subjected to constant wear and thus frequently rubbed, peeled or scratched from the pen's surface.
In order to insure that the printed material will continue to be legible, some manufacturers have used paper inserts which are wrapped about a plastic or cardboard tube and the tube and paper insert subsequently introduced within the barrel of the pen. In this manner, the paper is held between the barrel and the tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,691 to Shea discloses a method of mounting the display interiorly of the pen barrel. In Shea a preformed indicia carrying tube is inserted into the transparent barrel of a pen. In order to place a display within the pen, the indicia carrying material must therefore be either printed and rolled into a tubular shape or be preformed as a hollow tube and subsequently printed prior to insertion into the pen barrel.
Thus, each of the foregoing examples of placing the display inside the tube has required a relatively rigid tubular member to be used in the pen and such added structure increases both material handling and costs.
To overcome some of the above problems, British Pat. No. 695,363 to Smith discloses a pen in which the insert is freely maintained within the barrel of the pen after being initially scrolled into a tubular shape and inserted therein. The paper or similar material is held in position simply by its inherent physical characteristics of trying to assume its previous flat or natural planar shape or configuration. Although the use of a singular indicia carrying element which need not be performed into a continuous or rigid cylinder reduces the cost, the scrolling or rolling of the material and subsequent insertion of the material into the barrel of an implement creates substantial handling, aligning, and inserting problems.
Other examples of the prior art include: French Pat. No. 1,095,468, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,255,134 to Casey, 2,350,574 to Tienken, Jr. et al. and 3,828,415 to Kammeraad, et al.